Who qualifies for a bank bonus on a joint account?

A joint account has one balance and more than one person the bank can ask about. Bonus rules sometimes follow the account, and sometimes follow each name.

One account, one bonus

Chase says you can receive only one bonus per account, and only one new checking account opening related bonus every two years from the last offer enrollment date. ¹ Two owners do not turn that into two payouts. Capital One says the bonus is valid for one new 360 Checking account, and only one promotional code is accepted per account. ² If you wanted two bonuses, you need two eligible accounts at banks whose rules you each pass. What "new customer" means is the individual test. How many bank bonuses in a year is the ceiling across banks.

Secondary owner is still an owner

Capital One's ineligibility line includes a secondary account holder. ² If you were added to a spouse's 360 Checking, Simply Checking, or Total Control Checking on or after 1 January 2024, the page says you are ineligible even though you may not have been the person who opened it. ² Check old statements for your name before you apply. The full Capital One list is in Capital One 360 Checking bonus requirements.

Chase limits eligibility by ownership

Chase says eligibility may be limited based on account ownership. ¹ That sentence is vague on purpose until you are in the application. It is a reason to ask, before you submit a joint application, whether either owner fails the new-customer test. Existing checking customers, recent closures, and a negative-balance closure inside three years are already named. ¹

A co-owner can affect more than the bonus

The CFPB says negative checking-account information can come from a joint account with someone who had an unpaid overdraft, a suspected-fraud flag, or bad checks. ³ You can be denied the account, bonus or not, because of that file. Does opening bank accounts hurt your credit points at ChexSystems and Early Warning, which is the report to order if a joint application is declined.

Direct deposit on a joint account

The deposit still has to match the offer. Chase wants payroll, pension, or government benefits into the account. ¹ Capital One wants two qualifying direct deposits of at least $500. ² Whose name is on the paycheck matters only if the bank's activity label or the terms require it. Ask before you move payroll. Track one row per account, not per person, in the bank bonus tracker. Read the exclusion line before the deposit line, which is the order in how to read a bank bonus offer.